Friday, November 06, 2015

No matter how hard we try, we'll never be able to create Halloween costumes like the ones you see in Hollywood each year. These people have access to special effects artists and costume designers. Even if they don't, they have motivation to create the best costume possible. While you and I can show off to our small group of friends and a few hundred social media followers, these people are dressing up to show off to millions.In 2015, celebs were more creative than ever in their dress-up efforts. Here are the top 10 celebrity Halloween costumes for 2015:#10: Katy Perry as Mic DropThis costume is a little weird, but...unique?

#9: Ellen Degeneres as Karla KardashianYes, all the Kardashians dressed up...but who cares? Much better is Ellen making fun of the Kardashians!

#8: Tyra Banks as Richard BransonThere were quite a few gender-swapping costumes this year. I think Tyra's was the best.

#7: The Rock as PopeyeI can't decide if this is scary or cool.

#6: Jessica Alba and a friend as Romy and MichelleThey weren't too eager to pose for pictures for some reason, but they also posted this grainy picture of themselves. I like this full-color one better:

#5: Beyonce and Jay Z as Prince Akeem and Queen Aoleon inComing to AmericaFun tribute to a great 1980s Eddie Murphy comedy.

#4: Neil Patrick Harris and Family as the Star Wars castNeil and his family are Halloween costume standouts every year.

#3: Gigi Hadid as Sandy from GreaseFew people have the figure to pull off this childhood dream costume. A supermodel does.

I've been blogging since 2006. I enjoy every minute of it. I love reading other people's blogs and having people read mine. But there are a large number of published authors who say this:

"I've never bought a book after reading a blog," one author commented on a blog about this very subject a while ago. Several people spoke up to say they had...and I revealed that almost every book I read either has been recommended by a blogger or by someone on social media.

If I had more time to read, I'd probably read about half of the books I see recommended on a daily basis. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

Here's the thing: 99 percent of those who say blogging is a waste of time don't actually read blogs. They post something and wait for someone to read it...and they're met with this:

So the answer is...yes. If you plan to just post to the blog on your website every day and wait for your "fans" to show up, you're wasting time. Unless you're this guy...

Or some other celebrity. If that's the case, you aren't reading this post anyway! This brings me back to what blogging is. Blogging, like Twitter and Facebook and any other form of online interaction is about community. It's about giving and receiving. Just as you can't join Twitter and wait for people to realize you're there, you can't post a blog and wait for people to start commenting. You have to read, comment, and post great content on a regular basis. That's how a blog can be effective.Oh...and it can't hurt to join a great online community like this one...

But even then, you must read other blogs and comment to let people know you're there. Read other blogs, support other bloggers, and you'll find people are supporting you, too!What do you get from blogging?

Monday, November 02, 2015

I stream most of the TV I watch. I find shows on Hulu Plus, Netflix...even YouTube.

Sometimes I watch past shows...almost always, I find they were shows I stopped watching halfway through. Throughout my life I've learned that TV shows usually "jump the shark" around season five or so, but that doesn't stop them. They just keep churning out crappy episode after crappy episode until they run it into the ground.

Fonzie preparing to "Jump the Shark"

I stopped streaming Grey's Anatomy soon after they jumped the shark with that ever-so-strange musical episode...

So I never saw what happened to Dr. McDreamy.

I likely never will. You can blame that on this show:

When I saw Desperate Housewives was on Hulu Plus, I decided to give it another shot. I lost interest around season three when it first aired. As soon as I started watching, I realized why I loved the show so much in season one. You have Susan, who writes children's books...

And Mike, the plumber across the street. He's played by James Denton, who is from the city next to the one where I grew up. Goodlettsville still loves to mention that fact. Constantly.

I loved their love story. Loved it the first time, loved it the second time. Until I got to the last few episodes. If you haven't seen it and want to, skip to the end of this post...because I'm about to give something away.

Instead of letting Mike and Susan live happily ever after, the show's very talented writers decided to just make Susan miserable. Maybe they didn't like Teri Hatcher? There have been rumors... But whatever the reason, they shouldn't have killed off Mike. They could have just let them live happily ever after.

The problem is, if I'd never gone back and watched all the episodes, I would never have known. I would have just assumed they got married, had kids, and life was dandy for them.

Mike's final moments

Another problem with streaming? There's no one to share my pain. Everyone got over the Mike Delfino death three freakin' years ago when it aired! So I'm behind...and everyone else who watches the show on Hulu Plus will be behind, too. We'll just be screaming into a big echo chamber...WHY?!!!